Daylight (1996)

Disaster in a New York tunnel as explosions collapse both ends of it. One hero tries to help the people inside find their way to safety.

Director:

Rob Cohen

Writer:

Leslie Bohem

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Kit Latura
Amy Brenneman	...	Madelyne Thompson
Viggo Mortensen	...	Roy Nord
Dan Hedaya	...	Frank Kraft
Jay O. Sanders	...	Steven Crighton
Karen Young	...	Sarah Crighton
Claire Bloom	...	Eleanor Trilling
Vanessa Bell Calloway	...	Grace Calloway
Renoly Santiago	...	Mikey
Colin Fox	...	Roger Trilling
Danielle Harris	...	Ashley Crighton
Trina McGee	...	LaTonya (as Trina McGee-Davis)
Marcello Thedford	...	Kadeem
Sage Stallone	...	Vincent
Jo Anderson	...	Bloom

Storyline

Trouble strikes when runaway robbers in a getaway car hit truck full of explosives in the tunnel connecting Manhattan and New Jersey. Survivors are left in a weakened tunnel blocked at both exits. As Kit Latura approaches the tunnel, he sees the impact and knows he gotta take action. With time running out, he enters the tunnel through a system of maintenance walkways. Can he get the survivors out before the tunnel fills up?

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Plot Keywords:

collapsing tunnel | electronic music score | blowout | tunnel | explosion | 

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Taglines:

no hope

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disaster-related peril, death and destruction

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daylight: Infierno en el túnel

Filming Locations:

Monterey, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,014,795, 8 December 1996, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$33,023,469

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$126,189,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Davis Entertainment,Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Before he was cast in Daylight, Sylvester Stallone was involved in another two movie projects. One was an action disaster thriller titled "No Safe Haven", and he was going to play disgraced ex marine who visits his mother on Martha's Vineyard at the same time when president and his family are there on vacation. But then the militia-like cult shows up and the members of it take over entire island, but president manages to escape and he and marine then join up to fight against cult members and save his family, and entire film would take place during large hurricane. Despite Universal studio spending $300,000 on buying the script after six hours long bidding war with other studios for it, "No Safe Haven" was cancelled very early in pre-production.

The second project Stallone was involved in was another action thriller titled "High Roller". Written by screenwriter J.F. Lawton, who wrote Steven Seagal's action hit Under Siege (1992), High Roller was described as "Die Hard in a casino", and it was about ex-hitman who has to fight against mobsters and his former boss inside huge Las Vegas casino which they took over and kidnapped the owner, and not only that he has to save the owner but he and some down on his luck gambler who got involved into entire thing by accident also must protect casino owner's daughter from mobsters.

The script for the film was sold for $1 million against $2.5 million in mid 1995 to Savoy Pictures studio who were in financial problems, which is why they disagreed with Stallone's $20 million contract to star in the film, so he went on to make Daylight while they cancelled High Roller which, following the bankrupt of their studio, was never again attempted to be made into a film, even though various studios tried to buy the rights for it in 1996 after Savoy Pictures went bankrupt.

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Goofs

When Kit and Madelyne come out of the water after the explosion, the sky is cloudy. When they are saved a few minutes later, the sky is clear with bright sunshine.

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Quotes

Grace Calloway: There are 4 of those. I will shut them down for 2 and a half minutes.
Kit Latura: Each?
Grace Calloway: Total. They revved all the way up to compensate for the damaged exhaust shaft. When we shut them down, it will severely cut their oxygen. When the level gets too low, the computer automatically kicks the fans back on. There's no override, and there's no second shut-down. That's a safety feature.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Worst Films of 1996 (1997)

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Soundtracks

Don't Go Out With Your Friends Tonite
Written by L. Bryan, R. Bryan, D. Hoffpauir and K. Kerby
Performed by Ho-Hum
Courtesy of Universal Records
By Arrangement with MCA Special Markets and Products

User Reviews

Let this film into the light of day

Fasten your seatbelts and brace yourself for an non-stop thrill ride that will have you holding your breath from start to finish.

"Daylight" is one of the most intense movies I have seen in a long time. Sylvester Stallone gives one of his best performances in "Daylight" leading a group of civilians to safety after a New York tunnel engulfs in flames. Stallone works his magic as a former EMS chief sent in to save these civilians.

When I heard Stallone's name mentioned as part of the cast of "Daylight," I knew it would be a non-stop thrill ride; however, what I didn't realize it would be a thriller that had depth mixed in with everything else. "Daylight" is a credit to Stallone's ability and this remains one of his best roles to date.

Adding to this awesome film are Stallone's co-stars, which include Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, Jay O. Sanders and Stan Shaw. I enjoyed watching this ensemble work together because they seem to need no direction when on screen. It was as if they were really trapped in the tunnel. From the fear to the heroic actions they took, these actors were top notch.

Despite most thrillers, "Daylight" stands out as being the finest assembled film. The casting works like magic, the special effects are magnificent and the script is perfect.

I concede that "Daylight" is predictable. However, I disagree with those who say it hurts the film. My point is it doesn't matter whether a film is predictable, rather how it is presented. "Daylight" is presented with quite unique special effects, a plot with depth and endearing performances.

In addition to the excellent performances, "Daylight" had some of the best special effects I have seen. The explosion at the beginning of the movie was a work of art. I was in awe of how well the special effects were pulled off because I don't believe that "Daylight" would have worked as well as it did if they were done with less than 100 percent effort.

"Daylight" will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you holding your breath hoping these citizens come out alive.